Lowlie

A person must be very proactive in their visa case. I've read so many posts from people saying they sat around waiting, doing nothing to actively keep their case moving along. A person should keep a close eye on their case,.. make calls, send emails, stay right up to date on what's going on....when something is asked for from the applicant and/or petitioner, it must be done immediately. Those who snooze will usually lose.

Yes it's normal. It usually says "Ready for interview" until the visa is actually being processed. When they start processing it, your case will change to "Administrative processing"...then within a few days it will change to "Issued". It won't be ready for pick up the same day it changes to issued, but it's supposed to be ready soon after that. Our interview was November 18th (approved). Our case changed to administrative processing a couple days later, and on November 22nd in the evening it changed to issued. We're still waiting for the passport to be available for pick up.

Yes, it's a gang tattoo and there's no way a Hispanic man would dare to get such a tattoo unless he's actually affiliated with a gang. To have a tattoo done like this "just because it's cool" would be like stamping a note on his forehead that says, "kill me now". A gang tattoo isn't body art, it's a brand and it's taken very seriously among gangs. Consulates in Mexico are well educated about such facts. Of course he was denied. I'm just so surprised he didn't think of that when going to his interview.

You would have saved yourselves a lot of misery and money if you had googled some information before she flew to the USA on the visitor visa. What you hoped to do was very illegal. Sorry for what you went through! So now it's like dwheels said, you have to file for I-130. The average wait is a year to a year and a half. It took 15 months for us.

When I posted the link on my facebook (the bill to end K1) I was very surprised that two of my friends whose husbands came to the USA on a K1 in March 2014 were the first to comment that they absolutely agree, K1 should be scraped. Both of them had quite a lot to say about their disapproval of how many immigrants are entering the USA, etc, etc. My comment to them was simply.....This reminds me of one of my daycare kiddos with a lolly pop in her hand, telling the other kids, "You can't have one. Sugar is bad for you."

I would be surprised if the fees actually cover the entire processing cost. If they had a 'fast lane' fee for premium processing, I would have gladly paid the extra amount.
The real point I was making in my post about writing to Congress, was that K1s are important and should receive additional support from the government. I already have a draft letter prepared for my Congressman. Letters to the Senators will be slightly different.

My hubby wouldn't go to the barber shop alone, either, at first. Now he has no problem going alone. He was worried about his English, but he relaxed after he realized people could understand him well enough. Usually he tells them his English is bad and they respond by saying they can understand him. Then they usually ask him where he's from, which helps break the ice. Getting his driver's license was hard, but that is something a lot of employers look at. Another thing employers look at, which makes it hard for immigrants, is job experience here in the USA. My hubby had a hard time finding someone who would hire him. He did find work by printing out a resume' and going door to door to local companies and just talking to them. That's where going to the mosque and networking with others might help your husband more. I don't think your husband needs a certificate showing he can speak English because he will be speaking when he talks to potential employers. My hubby was so nervous about this at first. He asked me to go with him. I told him I can't do that, so we settled for me driving him and waiting in the car while he went in. First he worked for a flooring company, then a roofing company. Then we moved and he got a job as a stocker. Now he has a good job at a company that makes cheese. They have trained him to do several different jobs within the company. It just takes time to find a company willing to take a person in and train them.

I would recommend working on the driver's license because that's our biggest hold up for getting a good unskilled job. He can't get himself to and from work if it's beyond a 20 minute bike ride. The written test was challenging because of the different vocabulary on it so we found a website offering practice tests for it and so he practiced on those until he was familiar with the wording and the layout of our multiple choice tests. He passed and now has a learner's permit so we're working on the driving portion to act
As for jobs, we found him some thing that he could be good at. It's not glamorous and it doesn't pay amazingly well but it's a place to start. He's working at a mall helping with their maintenance and cleaning crew. It's also evenings so he can go to English classes in the morning or to trade school next year and maintain his employment. We also applied to temp jobs in warehouses and factory work but this was full time. We found that he couldn't work with money as he isn't familiar enough with our coins to accurately make change. We also had to watch out for "friends" of his trying to get him into different pyramid sales scheme jobs.

Come on, you gotta agree that college isn't for everyone. And in the US, it's especially not for those who aren't blessed with money. While I agree that getting an education IS critical, I don't believe college is the only way to get one. There's plenty of avenues here in the USA, it's a matter of getting your foot in the door. Right now I think it's best he gets ANY kind of US work experience, whatever that may be. I don't even have my own career path figured out yet. I definitely agree with you on taking an English course. My question is should that come first before finding a job?

It would make much more sense to focus on those who are already here and have failed to leave when their visa expired, and those who failed to follow through with other conditions of their visa. There are thousands upon thousands of them. I have a friend who brought her fiancé to the US from Egypt on a K1 in 2014. They were married in county court within a few weeks of his arrival. She came home from collage classes one afternoon soon after that to find he'd cleared out all his things and was gone. He had moved in with friends (immigrants from Egypt) he already had here in the US before he arrived with the visa. He didn't even try to hide, He and his wife had phone and on line conversations afterwards. She told him she would make sure he was deported, but he informed her he knew once he was in the US, the chance of him being deported was slim to none. She filed for an annulment and was denied, so she divorced him and made every effort to do something about what happened. He turned out to be right though. Authorities know where he lives and they know where he's illegally worked since July 2014. It apparently doesn't matter.
As for setting a reasonable time limit on AOS after a person arrives on a K1, that seems like it should be common sense to give them a maximum of one year. They're given a time limit of 90 days to marry, so they should also have a time limit for AOS.

It would make much more sense to focus on those who are already here and have failed to leave when their visa expired, and those who failed to follow through with other conditions of their visa. There are thousands upon thousands of them. I have a friend who brought her fiancé to the US from Egypt on a K1 in 2014. They were married in county court within a few weeks of his arrival. She came home from collage classes one afternoon soon after that to find he'd cleared out all his things and was gone. He had moved in with friends (immigrants from Egypt) he already had here in the US before he arrived with the visa. He didn't even try to hide, He and his wife had phone and on line conversations afterwards. She told him she would make sure he was deported, but he informed her he knew once he was in the US, the chance of him being deported was slim to none. She filed for an annulment and was denied, so she divorced him and made every effort to do something about what happened. He turned out to be right though. Authorities know where he lives and they know where he's illegally worked since July 2014. It apparently doesn't matter.
As for setting a reasonable time limit on AOS after a person arrives on a K1, that seems like it should be common sense to give them a maximum of one year. They're given a time limit of 90 days to marry, so they should also have a time limit for AOS.

It would make much more sense to focus on those who are already here and have failed to leave when their visa expired, and those who failed to follow through with other conditions of their visa. There are thousands upon thousands of them. I have a friend who brought her fiancé to the US from Egypt on a K1 in 2014. They were married in county court within a few weeks of his arrival. She came home from collage classes one afternoon soon after that to find he'd cleared out all his things and was gone. He had moved in with friends (immigrants from Egypt) he already had here in the US before he arrived with the visa. He didn't even try to hide, He and his wife had phone and on line conversations afterwards. She told him she would make sure he was deported, but he informed her he knew once he was in the US, the chance of him being deported was slim to none. She filed for an annulment and was denied, so she divorced him and made every effort to do something about what happened. He turned out to be right though. Authorities know where he lives and they know where he's illegally worked since July 2014. It apparently doesn't matter.
As for setting a reasonable time limit on AOS after a person arrives on a K1, that seems like it should be common sense to give them a maximum of one year. They're given a time limit of 90 days to marry, so they should also have a time limit for AOS.

This would be a good time for the USCs to begin writing to their US Senators and Representatives about the positive aspects of the K1 visa program. Tell then that USCIS requires more funding to support this important program. Get your friends and relatives to write about it too. We are coming into an election year in 2016. It is important for Congress to understand what is important to their constituents.
The more opinions Congress hears DIRECTLY from constituents, the less likely it is to succumb to knee-jerk media suggestions.

That's awesome. I know I had a good friend do a picture album of all her husband missed in their year long saga. It was quite touching showing birthdays missed. parties invited to and she went alone. It was very touching. To show the real human side of all this. That this person is coming to a life in US and people waiting to meet and greet them.

The other possibility is to pack your laptop in your checked baggage. I did that often, both on international and domestic flights, because I wanted a laptop later but didn't need to carry it on the airplane with me. If it's in your checked luggage, it's fine -- it doesn't need a battery or need to be turned on.

Soon. Don't worry about it, God is good!! You will be in my prayers!!

I did do a lot of front loading. I even sent them a 25 page child art style book I made (which I let the kids color) that explained our whole story with pictures instead of words.

Oh My Gosh Lowlie.. that is so beautiful! You had me tearing up...Very creative and sweet to have the kids do that.... As Dswheels said front loading helps with immigration. It is my opinion that the decision is made even before you set foot into that interview (eg.pass, fail, unsure), the interview gives an opportunity to change the Immigration officer's minds. Thats why if all your docs are good,be careful not to say something something stupid. And in some cases like failed drug test, you already denied. If you now your docs are weak - Interview time is a time to convince them from unsure to sure.
So I totally believe in the no questions interview Lowlie congrats again and I wish you all the best for you and your lovely family.

I did do a lot of front loading. I even sent them a 25 page child art style book I made (which I let the kids color) that explained our whole story with pictures instead of words.

I did do a lot of front loading. I even sent them a 25 page child art style book I made (which I let the kids color) that explained our whole story with pictures instead of words.

Your experience is quite amazing to say the least.

Visa in hand! Praise God I'm beyond thankful to be DONE with this entire visa application process. I have to pinch myself

Oh no, I'm aware it was denied for a legitimate reason, however based on OP's first post, it didn't seem like he made it clear to them that they were denied. Like, I believe he should have flat out told them that they were denied. Thats what I meant by a "soft-core" let down lol

Thank you! When my husband was approved I was so happy, I cried like a baby. When I saw the visa today, I was back to the Kleenex box again. I had better have plenty of tissue in my pocket when I meet him in the airport, because I know I'm going to be a mess.

Visa in hand! Praise God I'm beyond thankful to be DONE with this entire visa application process. I have to pinch myself